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Facebook facing reality?

Is Facebook facing a reality check? In 2011 and in 2012, 2,000 social media users aged 12 to 64 were asked which social media products they use. Kleiner Perkins partner Mary Meeker made a chart out of their responses.

It shows that YouTube, Twitter, Googe+, Linkedin, Pinterest, MySpace, Instagram, Tumblr, and Foursquare all gained users between the two years. The only social media product that did not was Facebook.

At the Technology conference in California, this week, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg said, “We are the leaders in a growing market but people are “using Tumblr more. They’re using Twitter more,” but “they continue to be active and engaged Facebook users.
Although the number of teenagers using Facebook is still growing, Twitter and Tumblr are becoming more and more popular with the valuable demographic. “Teenagers are using other things more. At the same time, they continue to be very active, engaged Facebook users,” Mrs Sandberg said.

The admission is likely to fuel concerns amongst some investors that Facebook’s lifespan will be limited, and will go out of fashion in the same way that early social networks, such as MySpace and Friends reunited, have done in the past.

However, Ms Sandberg said that there was still plenty of room for Facebook to grow before the market reaches saturation point. “We are the leaders in a growing market. Do I think there’s time and room for people to do a lot more sharing before we reach the zero sum game? Yes.”

About the Author

The Professor

The Professor is head of the Social Media Faculty and leads a strong team of experts on social media.
The Professor is unable to accept public speaking engagements.
The Professor enjoys reading, riding and rheumatics.